Some 'Key' Species

The water vole used to be common and widespread in lowland Britain but has suffered a decline in numbers and distribution in recent years. Water Voles are in fact more common in Warrington than many other areas. Many of our local brooks and ditches show signs of occupation. Perhaps one of the most surprising sites for the species is Lymm Golf Club where the mammal appears to thrive in the course’s drainage ditches.

The black-necked grebe has very particular needs for its breeding sites, which makes it even more remarkable that it should find them at Woolston Eyes, which was created from the dredging of the Manchester Ship Canal. The Eyes clearly has all of the right ingredients for the grebes, as it is now probably the most important breeding site for the species in the whole of the UK!

The great crested newt is probably Warrington’s best-known protected animal species, with its stronghold at Rixton Claypits Nature Reserve. It has declined steadily across Europe, but Cheshire remains one of its strongholds. It is perhaps not widely appreciated that great crested newts can wander up to 500 metres from their breeding pond, and adults spend most of the year away from the pond. It is therefore important that the habitat around breeding ponds is protected too.

The native (British) bluebells occurs typically in deciduous woodland but has declined because of habitat loss. Many of the bluebells that you now see are the Spanish bluebell which have escaped from gardens and the two species readily hybridise. The English bluebell has its separate flowers / bells growing only on one side of the stem and the flower- stem droops over whereas the Spanish bluebell has the flowers arranged all the way around the stem and the flower-stem remains upright.

The red fox  - People often think of foxes as animals of the countryside but Warrington, like most towns & cities throughout Britain, now has a resident urban fox population. Most foxes are secretive and nocturnal and often are only seen briefly illuminated in car lights when crossing a road. In some areas of Warrington, foxes visit gardens for food put out by residents and they may build their earths under garden sheds. Urban foxes have a varied diet of earthworms, small mammals such as mice, fruit, insects and food scavenged from bird tables and compost heaps.

Some people may think that urban foxes are pests but they are rather nervous animals and generally fearful of people. They can be noisy at night calling and barking and they may dig in gardens. However, in general urban foxes do not present a nuisance.

Bats - There are over 900 species of bat in the world with an amazing variation in appearance and feeding habits. In Britain there are 17 resident species, which are all legally protected. Britain’s bats all have small eyes and use echolocation to navigate. Each bat species uses a different frequency, which is one of the best ways of identifying them. Climate and available roosting sites restrict the spread of different bat species.

Bats found in Warrington include pipistrelle, daubenton, noctule, brown long-eared and whiskered. The best way to find bats is to discover a bit about their lifestyles. Their preferred roosting sites, feeding habits, social structure and lifecycle all provide clues where to look. Bat identification can be difficult. Factors to look for include the different sizes of the bats, their flight patterns and feeding places.

Remember that it is illegal to disturb bats or their roost and you must have a licence to handle them.